Volleyball comes from behind to beat Stony Brook

Anna Lejina registered 20 kills as she led the Binghamton University (9-11, 4-1 AE) volleyball team to a 3-2 (23-25, 14-25, 25-18, 25-16, 17-15) win over Stony Brook (7-14, 2-3 AE) on Oct. 17. The win marked the fourth straight victory for the Bearcats, all America East matches.

“It was an amazing comeback. We really willed our way to the win,” head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. “I thought the team hung in there very well, even when we were down late in the fifth set. Our offense continued to improve as the match went on while our middles made it difficult for their hitters. It was a good team effort.”

The Bearcats fell behind Stony Brook two sets to none but displayed resolve as they climbed their way back into the match. In the third set the Seawolves held an 11-10 advantage, but BU used a 10-3 run to take a 20-14 lead and control of the set. Stony Brook got as close as four points but the Bearcats won the set by a seven-point margin.

Binghamton continued its comeback in the fourth set as the match was knotted at 14. The Bearcats gained momentum thanks to a 9-1 run, giving Binghamton a 23-15 lead. Binghamton would never relinquish the lead as it closed out the set on a Julie Chambers and Alex Roland block.

In the fifth set, Binghamton fell behind early 8-2 as the two teams switched sides. The Bearcats used a .280 hitting percentage in the final frame to recover and shorten the deficit to just three, 14-11. With Stony Brook at match point, Binghamton went on a 3-0 run to even the set. Back-to-back kills by Lejina finished off the Seawolves and gave Binghamton the victory.

Senior captain Michelle McDonough recorded her second straight double-double, finishing the match with 15 kills and 11 digs. Roland anchored the Bearcat defense as she had one solo block and four block assists. She also put down eight kills.

Chambers, a junior setter, handed out a game-high 47 assists as she led the Binghamton offense to a .259 hitting percentage. Chambers also picked up nine digs.